On this Election Day in the United States, it’s clear that no matter who receives the most votes, the path ahead of us is going to be steep.
Is there a word of encouragement that all of us can affirm during the climb – one that appeals, as Abraham Lincoln put it, to “the better angels of our nature”?
Perhaps it can be these words, which have come to be known as A Peculiar Blessing:
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
May God bless you today with just such courage and grace.
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